“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Ramsey said, taking my arm and leading me to the first cherry wood table. “Come on, you can leer at the books while I find my friends’ pieces.”
“I am not leering at the books, I am admiring them,” I said, trying to focus on where I was going and not the gold lettering on the books which seemed to wink and call to me.
“Yeah, right. Sorry I don’t know where their items are placed.”
“I don’t mind, like I said I haven’t looked yet.” On the tables were a variety of items, art work of all kinds, jewelry, antiques, gift baskets, and gift certificates. Below them was a piece of paper where people wrote their bids and names.
“There is Murdock’s bodhran.” Ramsey pointed to a beautiful round drum painted with an elaborate Celtic knot. It took a minute of staring at the brown knot work to realize it was three seals. “One person has placed a bid. If the other pieces have been bid on maybe I’ll add a bid, hopefully that’ll add interest, because I already have two of his drums.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said. I started a text message to Gavin asking him to bid on it for me. I would wait to send it in case I wanted something else.
“Don’t tell him you like it, he’ll never stop flirting with you then.”
I laughed and didn’t resist as Ramsey slide his arm around my waist. Possessive much?
“The necklace made of sea glass, that’s my friend Mindy’s work.”
Three strands of green sea glass had been strung lengthwise with small seed pearls in-between. It made me think of something a child of the ocean might make for their mother at school. “She has quite a few bids,” I said. “It’s a very whimsical piece.”
Ramsey chuckled. “Mindy bounces between mature tortured artist and childlike creative sprite.”
“Oh look,” I moved ahead to look at a picture of a seal. Its large liquid black eyes stared out with such wisdom I wondered if it was a selkie.
“It’s a seal,” Ramsey said.
I read the description, Mr. Quintin Monroe. “I danced with the photographer earlier.”
Ramsey arched an eyebrow.
I smiled and turned to look at the photographs. I didn’t owe him an explanation. We weren’t dating.
“Is he handsome?” Ramsey asked his voice calm but his irritation scratched across my bubble. “His photographs are okay.”
“He’s cute, I guess, for an old guy.”
“Old?” Ramsey asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “He was like forty or something.”
Ramsey relaxed. “You should be ashamed winding me up like that.”
“Should I?”
He grinned and leaned in to say something when someone called his name.
“Cheers, Mindy. How are you doing?”
“Ramsey, thank you so much for coming down here,” she squealed, hugging him tight in plump tan arms. “I have met so many amazing people, and Melusine said she loved my work and wants me to come by next week to talk to her.”
“That’s wonderful. Mindy, this is my friend Sapphire. Sapphire, this is Mindy. She made the necklace I showed you.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said holding out my hand. I could feel the bit of Fae in her when we touched. “It’s a lovely piece.”
“Thank you, I have a bracelet and earring set on another table that is being bid on.” Mindy took Ramsey’s hand. “Can you come and meet someone?”
He turned to me.
“Go ahead. I’m going to finish looking at these photos.”
“We won’t be a minute,” she said to me, then turned to Ramsey. “I really like him. We’ve been seeing each other for a week now.” I watched them walk over to a group of artists. At least I assumed they were artists because they all had a magical feel to them, and their clothing was less high fashion and more self-expression.
I admired a photograph of a humpback whale when I felt him enter the room. Smiling, I turned toward the door. Taliesin stood tall, his white hair loose around his shoulders. He wore a pearl gray tuxedo. As always, he looked like he stepped out of an issue of GQ. My heart sped up a little at the sight of him.
I waved.
He nodded and began to walk towards me. Then stopped as someone talked to him. Taliesin was a flame, and moths would be fluttering around him all night.
I turned back to the photographs. Mr. Monroe had captured an image of a mother orca nursing her baby. How did he manage to take such amazing images? Maybe next semester I’d take the photography elective through our virtual school.
Everything stopped. I could barely breathe. Something tightened around my chest. I looked. Found a chair. Focus, focus it’s only a few steps away. What was happening? Sit, just sit, and then I could figure it out. Pain ripped through me. I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. My knees buckled. Strong arms wrapped around me. Safe hands.
“Sapphire?” said Ramsey.
“Let’s get her to the couch,” Taliesin said.
“Sir, is everything okay?” asked a waiter.
“Yes, sorry she gets these sudden migraines sometimes. Once she takes her medication she’ll be fine,” Taliesin lied.
“Very good sir, I’ll ask everyone to stay back.”
“Thank you,” Taliesin said.
Ramsey supported me to the couch. Another wave of agony, a soul screaming out for help. I whimpered, tears streaming down my face.
Ramsey sat with me half in his lap supporting me. Taliesin sat down and glared at him. I wanted to say something to introduce them but my breath was stolen and white hot pain was followed by numbness.
“Just breathe,” Taliesin said as he wiped away my tears with a handkerchief. “Can you sip some water?”
I nodded and sat up.
“What happened?” Ramsey asked.
“Something drained the magic out of a creature, a gnome.” My eyes fluttered, I felt the being’s heart trying to beat and ache as their lungs gasped for air. “They aren’t dead, whatever it was didn’t take the creature’s life just their magic. They are hurting so badly. I don’t think they will live.”
“She needs to go outside,” Taliesin said. “Let me text Gavin, and then I can carry her out.”
“Text him now,” Ramsey said. “I can carry her.”
“No, you don’t understand,” Taliesin began.
Ramsey scooped me up, and I was surrounded by him, physically and emotionally.
I curled up, still feeling the pain of the poor gnome, but now I could feel Ramsey, his anger, fear, and helplessness ripped at me. I tried to breathe to restore my empathic bubble. The gasping breaths I managed did nothing but increase my panic. Ramsey stormed through the mansion, his emotions crashing and rolling like a sea during a storm.
My fingers curled into his jacket and I whimpered as we passed a crowd. Their emotions felt like hail pelting me without mercy.
“They will meet us in the front,” Taliesin said. “Gavin has all the tickets and such but we have to get her outside.”
What was he talking about and why did we need tickets?
Taliesin’s fingers folded over mine. I shivered as I felt his moonlight cool magic touch my skin. “No, Taliesin no, not here. What if whatever it was feels you?”
He squeezed my hand. “Hurry up.”
“I could run if you want,” Ramsey snapped.
“You’d probably trip.”
“I’ll get the door sir, can we help at all?”
“No, thank you,” said Taliesin. “Her Aunt and Uncle are coming.”
“Very good sir, let me know if we can be of service.”
I gasped as the cold air surrounded me. I wanted to burrow into Ramsey but didn’t want to tap into any more of his emotions. The fact that I managed to avoid skin to skin contact was amazing.
“We can sit on this bench,” Taliesin said. “Put her down.”
“No, she’ll get cold,” Ramsey said sitting with me still in his arms.
“Idiot, she’s an empath who has been over load
ed. You need to stop touching her.”
Ramsey growled low in his chest but set me on the freezing bench. I gasped the night air cold, sharp, and clean. I relaxed and opened my eyes. The night was black, stars glowing in the sky. I didn’t know if it was a new moon or it just hadn’t risen. One would think after the werewolf incident in Argentina I would be more aware of the cycles of the moon.
Taliesin and Ramsey sat on either side of me, their energy tight with restrained anger and fear. They were both trying so hard to keep their emotions to themselves. I would thank them when I could speak again. I looked over the perfect gardens, and into the looming trees in the distance.
“Everything is dead,” I said.
“What?” asked Taliesin.
“Look, there is nothing, no magical creature at all on the grounds.”
“Well,” began Ramsey. “It is night and cold out.”
I shook my head. “No, there is no magic out here, not even a glimmer of it. Even the trees and soil are devoid of magic.”
“We need to get out of here,” Taliesin said.
I nodded and wrapped my arms around myself, my breath visible as I spoke. “I don’t feel anything evil, but then I didn’t even when it was hurting that poor creature. I can still feel it. Its poor body, trying to live with such an important part of itself missing.”
I felt Gavin, his emotions reached out for me even before he left the mansion. I tried to smile and stand as Gavin came down the steps.
“Sapphire, are you all right?”
“I’m okay.” And then I wasn’t. The creature’s body shuddered. I twitched, my eyes losing focus. I saw a plain white ceiling through iron bars at the same time I could see Gavin’s worried face in front of me. The gnome gasped. I gasped.
“Sapphire?”
“… get her out of here …”
The gnomes friends cried and held her hands. Their thick fingers were cold.
“… car sir.”
I began to fall. Someone held me. The gnome and I took a stuttering breath.
I was passed to someone else.
“Sorry … I … warn… call…”
Thump, a heartbeat. A shallow rattling breath.
“… must drive faster.”
Thump. Our eyes closed.
“…not breathing.”
Moonlight surrounded me. I gasped and choked as I was cut off from the dying gnome.
“Taliesin,” Anali asked, her voice thick with tears.
“I’ve got her.”
I relaxed onto his chest, surrounded by moonlight cool magic. Tears ran down my cheeks as I surrendered to the darkness.
Chapter Twelve
“Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.” ~ Dorothy Thompson
Turquoise filled my vision, and a warm flower scented breeze flowed over me, washing away the fear, anger and pain which clung to my skin. Turning my head, the vibrant green grass tickled my cheek. A bevy of nymphs played in the water. I sat up as two Phoenixes flew over to me. The Phoenix King Shamash with flame feathers of yellow, orange, and red, and besides him Queen Aya her feather’s the blues, purples, and greens from the heart of a fire. Hovering in the air their bodies shimmered and shifted into their human forms.
My many times great-grandparents smiled and knelt on the grass besides me. “Sapphire, dearest, what happened?” Aya asked, her voice laced with a musical tone that soothed me.
Their coloring reminded me so much of Anali and Gavin. Aya’s copper brown skin and black curls, and Shamash’s milk white skin and flame red hair was almost the same shades as Anali and Gavin.
“Something sucked the magic out of a gnome, but not one of the Sons of Belial,” I said.
“Tell us,” Shamash said, “so we can help you.”
Aya patted her thigh. I laid my head on her leg and sighed as she combed her fingers through my hair. I told them about Ramsey, the torc, and the dead gnome.
“The person must have studied Earth magic,” said Shamash.
I frowned.
“There are some magical beings that are unique to Earth itself,” explained Aya. “And a type of magical practice that taps into the power and energy of Earth.”
“I had no idea,” I said.
“You’ll need to be careful since you can’t feel the person who did this,” Shamash said. “I wish I had advice to offer, or something I could share with you to help.”
“Perhaps you found the torc for a reason,” Aya said. “It might be able to help you when you wear it.”
“I’ll try that. Oh, speaking of help—Sasha said he dreamed that I need to talk to trees. He doesn’t understand what the images mean.”
“Oh, the hamadryad,” said Shamash. “Yes, there is one at Hampton Court.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“I can’t go to Earth, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what is happening with my people,” Shamash said.
Aya's smile lit up her face and made her even more beautiful. Shamash’s eyes softened as he grinned at her. Four thousand years and they were still in love.
“What your grandfather means is he talks to different Children of Fire and magical beings when they dream and does his best to help them,” Aya said.
“Oh, okay. I can ask Gavin to take me.”
“You should go soon; the hamadryad will guide you to Avalon,” Shamash said. “They've spent centuries guarding a portal and protecting magical beings.”
“They are very clever,” Aya said. “It’s all tucked away, a door in a doorway.”
Shamash frowned for a moment, then sighed. “Enough of this. You know what you need to do, and you know we are always here to help you. Shall we swing for a while?”
I couldn't remember the last time I swung with my grandparents on the large faerie swing made from wood, moss, and flowering vines. I stood up and held a hand out to Shamash. “Adadda,” I said. ‘Grandfather’ in Babylonian.
Smiling, he took my hand.
“Amagal,” I said, holding my hand out to Aya, my many times great-grandmother.
My stomach growled. Frowning, I tried to ignore the noise and burrow under the covers. My muscles ached and my head pounded. What was going on? My stomach growled again.
“You’re going to have to get up, Sapphire,” Miu said with a chuckle. “I have some breakfast waiting for you.”
My stomach cheered with the idea of breakfast. “Why do I feel like death warmed over?” I asked, sitting up. Then realizing that my stomach wasn’t the only organ being ignored, I stood on shaking legs and shuffled to the bathroom.
Washing my hands I looked in the mirror. Holy crap, what in the hell happened? I looked like a photo of a celebrity lying in the gutter the morning after a party. Searching the counter, I found Miu’s make-up remover and scrubbed my face. My hair, stiff from gel and hairspray, wouldn’t let a brush through it, but I manage to pull it into a ponytail and out of my face. I would have shower right then, but my stomach couldn’t tolerate the wait.
“Better?” Miu asked.
“I will be once I eat something.” I sat at the table and took a long drink of orange juice. Miu uncovered a plate of eggs, beans, toast shining with butter, cooked tomatoes and mushrooms, and fruit. “This looks amazing.”
“It’s the veggie version of an English fry-up.”
I nodded. I was taught not to talk with my mouth full.
“I let everyone know you were awake and fine. Gavin said he’d come over as soon as possible, he’s jumping between Anali and her morning sickness and you and your blatant refusal to wake up all morning.”
I offered a grunt of thanks to Miu, mouth still full. Whoever added baked beans to breakfast was a genius.
“Taliesin texted your friend Ramsey back last night,” Miu said. “I guess the beeping of your phone started to drive him nuts. I talked to him an hour ago when he called and let him know you were fine but still sleeping.”
“Thanks,” I said spreading marmalade on my toast. “Did he say if he and his
friends were all right?”
Miu nodded as she began to eat her own breakfast of fish and eggs. “Yes, he said that they all got home safely.”
“Good.” I slowed down and started eating like a normal person when I realized my plate was already half empty. Did I even chew anything? “What time is it?”
“Almost eleven,” Miu said.
“We have a show at two right?”
“Yes, then again at seven, are you up for two shows?”
I wiggled about a bit stretching my arms and legs, rolling my neck. My body felt a little stiff, probably because I slept for, what like fifteen hours? My headache already vanished. “Yes, I’ll need to get a good warm up but I should be fine.”
A knock, then Gavin opened the door. “Sapphire, how are you? Sorry I wasn’t here.”
I smiled, but kept my lips closed, just in case I had pieces of marmalade stuck in my teeth. “Anali needs you. I understand. How is she?”
Gavin frowned. “Sick, but not as bad as before. More importantly, how are you?”
“A little stiff from sleeping so long, but Shamash and Aya helped me. Oh, Hampton Court, we need to go to Hampton Court, there is a tree I need to talk to there.”
Gavin raised an eyebrow. “A tree.”
“Well, a hamadryad, to be exact. Apparently, the hamadryad will tell me how to find Avalon.”
“The Arthurian Avalon?” Miu asked. “I love that story.”
“Okay. Well we have plans for your birthday, but the next day we have off, so maybe we can go then. I’ll look into it.” Gavin ran a hand through his hair. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes, I’m going to finish this, shower, and as long as I get a good warm-up in, I’ll be ready for the show at two.”
Gavin sighed, looked at the door, then back at me.
“Uncle Gavin, go back and take care of Anali. Last night wasn’t a big deal. I’m fine now.” Adults get so worked up sometimes.
“Sapphire, you stopped breathing, which is a very big deal.” I ate some eggs. I didn't know what to say to that. And the whole not breathing thing was short-lived anyway. Gavin sighed and continued. “Did you learn anything in your dream? I asked Sasha to check, and all he remembered was magic Earth.”
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